You shine brighter than anyone
by nayadance
Summary: Ficlet. Prompt: Quinn going to Rachel's debut performance on Broadway and falling for each other!


People never seem to remember the exact moment when they fell in love with some. Yeah the movies may say "It was May 13th at three in the afternoon", but realistically, people's minds don't quite comprehend moments like that. The mind was too focused on other little things to remember such a large thing as falling in love. For Rachel Berry, her life was made in moments: her first recital, first kiss, first love, first play, first nationals. After these memories came the shining moments: winning a ballet exhibition at 10, losing her virginity to her first love, winning Nationals her senior year. Every morning, since Rachel moved to New York to attend NYADA, she put her thoughts in order by remembering the shiniest memories in her stockpile. This was a way to give her some sort of confidence, being that NYADA was full of so many stars. Rachel Berry needed all that she could to get ahead.

Now as a 23 year old, Rachel Berry awakes with her phone blaring Gravity from Wicked. Her manager Kevin seemed to enjoy waking the future star up way before 7 am. This particular day was no different, however, Kevin had pleasant news for Rachel.

"Morning, Kevin. You'd think by now I'd be up and ready for your call, but you see-"

"Rachel, shut the hell up and listen to me. You got the part!" It took a few seconds for Rachel to comprehend what Kevin was saying. She had had so many auditions, that for the life of her she didn't know which part she may have gotten.

"Kevin, which one? I'm sorry for the obvious confusion, you've had me go on so many open calls." At this time, Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and sighed, becoming frustrated.

"Wendla, you idiot!" Rachel threw her duvet over her thighs and stood, almost dropping her phone. "I'll email you dates and times. Chao babe!" with this her phone went silent.

For Quinn Fabray, her life wasn't measured in moments rather than waves or cycles. There was the happiness of being a teenager, the strife of Cheerios, the sadness of losing Beth, the angst of being a Skank, and the joy of finally graduating. There were few things that made Quinn happier than children. Very few things. Ever since Beth, the blonde had grown an obvious affection for the tiny humans. It was like they were so fascinated in the world. Sometimes she even wished she could be the same way, no cares in the world, just eat, sleep, and play. So when Quinn got accepted into Yale, she made sure to get into the Elementary Education program they offered. Of course she got in, she's Quinn Fabray.

As years past, Quinn forgot all about her old glee members. She was on this kick about forgetting the past and never going back. After she had her last talk with Rachel in the administrative office, it was the only decision she could come to, and she had to stick with it. There were moments though when she'd log onto Facebook and immediately feel regret that she wasn't as close with them as she use to be.

One day, when Quinn was packing up things to go home for spring break, she checked Facebook to see what everyone was up to. She was thinking maybe she'd see if any of the old Glee kids would in back in town to maybe get some coffee or something. Quinn really wanted to try now that she would be graduating soon and heading back to Ohio. Of course Puck and Finn were in Lima, along with Tina, but Britt and San were heading on a cross country trip. The one person she had yet to check was Rachel Berry. They had occasionally exchanged texts throughout the years with words of encouragement and regular how are you doings. Quinn went to her profile and immediately saw something that made a gasp escape her mouth. After that she went to a Broadway ticket seller and bought a ticket for opening night. Rachel's first Broadway performance was something she could not miss.

A moment before the curtains rose, and she couldn't believe it. She had finally made it. Rachel Berry was on Broadway, and she wasn't looking back. Her fathers had made sure to get front row seats, but they knew they could not make faces or else Rachel would falter (an old tradition that dated in elementary school due to Miss Berry laughing at one of her father's crying).

Rachel was at her first x on the stage, and the curtains were about to rise. She took one breath before imagining the other people that she would have loved to be in the audience. Finn, well, no, maybe not him. After she had refused his hand in marriage, Rachel had grown closer to other people. Rachel wasn't going to throw her future away over a boy; that really only left Quinn, her one confidante that had seen her through the ups and downs of high school. Rachel had always thought of Quinn fondly, and she wished all good things for the ex-Cheerio. Sure there were moments when Rachel wanted to strangle the girl back then, but now? What exactly did Rachel think of Quinn?

The curtains rose and Quinn's breath hitched in her throat as she saw Rachel standing up there on stage. Of course she got mediocre seats in the middle back, but that didn't mean she wasn't just as stunning. Yes, Quinn Fabray liked to kiss girls on occasion, but that was only because she had been screwed by so many guys in the past. Girls, to her at least, were easy. They didn't want to be cheated on, so they didn't cheat in return. Trust was important in a relationship, and Quinn knew she could trust the girls she dated; she made sure to be completely honest with each and every one as the relationship started. But, at this very moment, Quinn Fabray was only looking at one girl, and that one girl was Rachel Berry.

Throughout the entire show, Quinn couldn't keep her eyes off of the girl. It was like she radiated this aura of magic and power that only a star had, even in the scenes when she was off to the right or left of the main action going on. As the show concluded, Quinn sprinted back to the lobby, bought a few roses, and headed back to the dressing rooms of the stars. Arriving to the back, she quickly saw the lines of people gathered about waiting for Miss Rachel Berry to come out and grace the world. Quinn stood near the back, attempting to even get a small glance of the short, impish girl. She finally saw the door to the dressing room open and Rachel stepped out, immediately bombarded by paparazzi and interviewers. Quinn could tell from her spot that she was surprised by the onslaught. "Rachel!" she yelled, praying the girl would hear her.

She heard her name, but among the crowd of people, it seemed more like a chant. Rachel nodded and smiled in almost every direction. It was like she had finally arrived where she wanted to be. This was her place, and she knew that she never wanted to leave; she was loving the attention too much. Rachel was finally beginning to see that she was always meant to be here. She began signing play bills and scraps of paper amongst answering the many questions being thrown at her. It would seem that Rachel Berry was born to be on Broadway.

Moments later and a body was being thrown at her. Rachel began to react throwing the thin frame off of herself. "What the-?" she immediately smiled and hugged the girl standing in front of her. Never did she think she'd see Quinn Fabray standing at her dressing room doorstep. In just a few minutes Rachel shooed away the crowd of people, promising for more the next night. The moment they were alone in her dressing room, Rachel sat Quinn down beside her.

"Tell me how you are, long, lost, Quinn Fabray," she smiled as she spoke, crossing her legs over one another, preparing for the long conversation that was catching up.

When she said her name, Quinn had to shake herself free of her thoughts. In her mind, she had done this a million times. It was easy, fluid, perfect; but now as she sat beside Rachel, she blanked.

"Uh, yeah, same," she said, preparing for what was to come. "Rachel, I missed you and…" she stopped, knowing the only way to express how she was feeling was to just do it. So she did. Quinn grabbed Rachel's face and brought it to her own, feeling butterflies well in her stomach, letting her know that this was right. The moment their lips touched, Quinn knew that this was the exact way to tell Rachel she loved her. She knew Rachel felt the same; the brunette didn't even try to pull away. Just as the kiss ended, a few seconds later, Quinn smiled, bringing her hands into Rachel's. "Yep, that,"

"Oh! Well, Quinn, I can't say I haven't been waiting a few years for _that _to happen,"


End file.
